


Ever-change, Never Change

by mozukki



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 11:52:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10334066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozukki/pseuds/mozukki
Summary: i made two one-shots (an Otabek and Victuuri) one forYuri!!! on Ice's valentine exchange.Ch 1: Yuri closes his eyes, knowing his soulmate will be there for him no matter how much time passes. However, the dream of standing at the top of the podium, with a heavy gold metal around his neck doesn't wait for anyone. So Yuri has made his decision.Ch 2: A different soulmate AU where whatever you write on your body shows up on your soulmate's body,a soulmarkthat connects the two of you. Pianist Victor Nikiforov is on a 3 year hiatus from competition forpersonal reasons.Victor is torn between his love and hatred for the piano, leading to a horrible music block. The only thing he looks forward to are the tingling scribbles on his arm from his soulmate. Yuuri, on the other hand, tries to cope with his anxiety while doing what he loves—playing the piano. He hopes for his idol, Victor Nikiforov, to return from his indefinite hiatus to fulfill his dream of competing with him in the same competition.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i signed up to a back-up for the  Yuri!!! on Ice's valentine exchange, it was supposed to be white day gift and i am so sorry, i'm late. The theme is soulmate AU! And because I have no self-control, I ended up thinking of an Otayuri _and_ Victuuri AU
> 
> Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from Yuri!!! On Ice by Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsuro Kubo. I do not claim any ownership over them and this story is for pure entertainment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate AU where you're connected to your soulmates via a red string. A nice surprise is that you can see the red string when you close your eyes. I wrote this as an Otayuri chapter but I think it's more Yuri-centric with a dash of soulmate! Otabek. It mainly explores Yuri's love for figure skating more and his journey to becoming the Yuri Plisetsky people see on the ice. The conflict he feels because he wants to find his soulmate but then, his priority is his career and his soulmate search is interfering with that.

 

_Yuri watches Mom chat with a lady they ran into. He’s peeved and impatient because he’s sleepy and hungry from ballet class and wants nothing more than to go home to Grandpa’s pirozhki. Yuri gives Mom a quick look before he wanders off, his breath forming little clouds as he follows the moon in the night sky._

_He stops at an elderly man sitting on the bench, bathed in the ethereal moonlight. The man looks up to give him a warm smile. There’s this sense of security and familiarity, as if Yuri has met him before when he knows very well that he hasn’t._

_“Hello Yuri, how are you?”_

_“How do you know my name?”_

_He gives him another twinkling smile and Yuri feels this compelling serenity, as if he can trust him. “I have a special job of bringing soulmates together so of course, I know you.”_

_“How do you do that?”_

_There’s another knowing grin and he pats the seat beside him. Yuri walks up to take the seat and peers at the old book in his hands. The pages are slightly yellow and Yuri sees handwritten notes. “You see, these are the names of people who are soulmates. I keep them united by tying a red string around the ankles of the two destined people.”_

_“Do I have a soulmate?” Yuri glows at the thought. He wonders if his person likes cats and tigers as much as he does or if he skates. Maybe he skates as well as Victor—that would be great because then they can compete together._

_“Yes, everyone has a soulmate.”_

_“Are they good at skating?"_

_He laughs and pats Yuri’s head. “I can’t tell you that but you’ll know when you meet them.”_

_“How do I know it’s them?”_

_“You’ll see the red string and you’ll know it’s them.”_

_It’s too abstract for Yuri to understand but he nods eagerly, waiting for his friend to show up._

_“Yuri, which ankle do you want your red string on?”_

_Yuri thinks for a bit and remembers his spins. He doesn’t want the string to get tangled while he’s spinning. “I want it on my left ankle.”_

 

***

 

Yuri wakes up from _that_ dream again. He’s been having the same one for a few weeks now and he’s not sure what it means. What subliminal message is the Lunar God, the one who ties the red string, sending him? Is it a sign that he’s going to meet his soulmate soon?

He was seven when he met the Lunar God and he isn’t sure if he actually met him or if it was a dream. If it’s the latter then right now, he’s dreaming of a dream and that’s another form of inception Yuri’s mind can’t process this late at night.   

After meeting the Lunar God, whenever Yuri closes his eyes, he sees a delicate red string around his left ankle. He can’t see the other end of the string but when he first saw it, it was pointing south, towards the Caspian Sea and he wondered what his soulmate is doing all the way there.

_How are they going to meet?_

A few years later, the string changes direction to the Atlantic Ocean and then his soulmate went back to the Caspian Sea again. He would often ponder what his soulmate does because why do they move around so much? What were they doing across the Atlantic Ocean and why did they come back?

_When is he going to meet his soulmate? If not now, then when?_

Victor’s already met his—Yuuri and Yuri’s been observing them in awe. It’s crazy but it’s like Yuri knew Victor and Yuuri were soulmates during the evening of the banquet. They share an impeccable bond that nothing could break. They wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the memories they made that night.

They danced the night away with laughter twinkling in their eyes. The loving gaze in their eyes spoke volumes and Yuri’s never seen Victor so happy, genuinely happy before. While watching them, Yuri got this unquestionable feeling that “they’re meant for each other.”

Yuri’s not yearning for that kind of love; something that flashy and ferocious isn’t him. He’s simple and wants meaningful conversations with someone, he wants both of them to learn and grow together like Victor and Yuuri.

It’s a lot to ask for in one person but Yuri knows there’s someone out there for him and he’s waiting for them.

He looks to the alarm clock and realizes that tomorrow is already today. And today is closer to tomorrow which is the Grand Prix Final. He needs to be in his best shape, especially if he wants gold. So he forces himself to sleep, to forget about this dream of his and instead, focus on the dream of standing on top of the podium with the Russian flag raised.

He is going to make that dream reality.

 

***

 

It’s Yuri’s first time on a motorbike and he never thought he would get on one in this situation. For starters, he didn’t think he’d be running away from his fans—as crazy as they may be, Yuri is grateful towards them. Secondly, he didn’t think Otabek would be the one to rescue him, all slick in black and driving him down the streets of Barcelona. Yuri has to admit the city is very scenic so he spends a lot of time appreciating it as the wind blows through his hair.

Looking at Otabek’s back, Yuri realizes how absurd this situation is. He’s never talk to the dude but he agreed to hop on his motorbike after he uttered a short and simple, “Yuri, get on.”

This whole situation is crazy but Yuri can’t just jump off the motorbike now.

 

***

 

“So where are we?” Yuri asks, eyeing the brightly-colored reptile at the bottom of the staircase. There’s tropical trees lining the top and high pillars.

“We’re at the Park Guell,” Otabek replies, climbing the stars.

It’s eerily quiet and empty with a chilly draft. This is the part in those horror movies where people commit a murder and bury the body under the tropical trees. It would make sense in this situation because Otabek would have one less competitor in the final, though it makes more sense that Yuri’s vivid imagination is at work because of all the horror films Mila forced on him. As a result, Yuri has turned cynical.

They reach the top and Yuri is more cautious of Otabek now and not for good reasons—damn Mila. He’s never notice this but Otabek’s handsome but it’s not a flashy handsome like Victor or JJ. It’s more of a mature and quiet handsome where Yuri needs time to actually look at his face to realize this.

Yuri looks across the vast expanse of the Park Guell and smiles. The blues and greens of the buildings are so cheerful and happy, Yuri feels like he’s in a production for the Nutcracker with the gingerbread houses.

The fantasy landscape in front of him is so dreamy, it brings Yuri back to a time of juvenile hopes and dreams. He remembers the colorful memories of his youth with the festivals, funfairs and parks, a time before stark white ice rinks came into the picture. It’s a time of more Grandpa, more Mom and Yuri misses them.

Park Guell’s triggering these random bursts of nostalgic emotions in Yuri that he didn’t know existed but he’s glad these emotions are still here. The innocence he thought he lost when he devoted himself to figure skating is still in him and it’s very much alive.

“The sunset is nice,” Otabek comments and Yuri flinches, remembering that he’s still here. The sunset is gorgeous, especially against the beautiful scenery of the Park Guell. However, it does make the situation seem rather romantic and tacky. Yuri didn’t take Otabek as the type to appreciate sunsets but there’s a lot about Otabek that Yuri doesn’t know so he shouldn’t be so judgmental.

“Yeah, it makes everything more whimsical,” Yuri replies, “So why did you bring me here?”

Surprisingly, despite his previous concerns of being murdered, Yuri gets this vibe from Otabek that he’s a good guy, someone Yuri can trust. Yuri doesn’t know why he gets this feeling but he trusts it. He feels calm and comfortable and honestly wouldn’t mind spending the evening here to watch the sun dip below the sky lines, even if Otabek’s here—which is super weird because Otabek’s stepping up from being a stranger to someone whom he watch sunsets with but he's still below the bars of friendship. Though having dreams about a Lunar God isn’t exactly normal either. Maybe Yuri should go get a medical check-up after this because strange things are happening to him.

“I wanted to see if you remember me,” Otabek mutters and this sparks something in Yuri. _Remember me?_

“We met before?”

“We were in Yakov’s summer camp five years ago.”

Yuri searches through his memory for any recognitions of Otabek but there’s nothing. Five years ago, he moved to St. Petersburg and the transition wasn’t easy for him so his memories are a blur. He didn’t dare complain about the difficulty until he was good enough to complain. So he gritted his teeth to endure the hardship.  He reminded himself that he loves figure skating and the ballet classes will help him get better at it so he has to pull through.  

“You had the determined eyes of a soldier back then—you still do.”

Yuri smiles at the compliment. He’s never been referred to as a soldier before and it feels nice but his fluttering heart is telling him it’s too nice.

“So you talked to me because of this” Yuri questions. He wants to get to know Otabek because it seems like Otabek remembers him vividly. Despite Yuri not remembering anything, he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It just feels like he’s catching up with an old friend.

“I always thought we were similar. You know, both of us being determined and hardworking.”

Yuri gawks at Otabek because he’s so effortlessly cool and charming with the leather jacket and motorbike. He’s curt but he has a way with words. It’s all Yuri wants to be but the closest he gets is being a ‘Russian Punk’ while Otabek is the ‘Hero of Kazakhstan.’ He doesn’t see what Otabek sees in him to warrant such a praise but he’s happy to hear this.

Otabek extends his hand and Yuri grins, taking his hand to give it a shake. There’s warmth when their hands touch and Yuri takes this positively. He was right to trust Otabek because he’s a great person that can find all these great things about Yuri that he, himself, can’t see, even with a magnifying glass.

Yuri takes back his words from earlier because the setting sun is a beautiful way to start their friendship.

 

***

 

Yuri almost messes up his combination spin during his short program—something he would never expect to happen because spins are his specialty. _People don’t mess up their specialty._ But Yuri stumbles because he kept his eyes closed for a second too long. That second was detrimental to his focus because a glimmering red catches his attention.

_It’s the red string._

He ends his program and his body’s shaking as his lungs desperately grasps for oxygen. It’s a demanding program but Yuri needs to get as many points as he can. He’s worried Yuuri will have something up his sleeve in his free skate so Yuri has to snag as many points as he can now. He can’t let Yuuri have the upper hand, not when he’s _this_ close to gold.

Yuri blinks and there’s the string.

Before, he used to gape at it in fascination and even tried to touch it but his hands would always pass through. Then he forgot about the string because practice took up more and more of his time. In those years, figure skating was his highest priority, not his soulmate so he forgot about the string and the person it keeps him connected to.

What makes the red string in his vision different this time is that he saw the other end of the string. That has never happened before so it must mean his soulmate is here, in the stadium with him, watching him skate.

It’s a baffling thought and Yuri can’t help but scan the stadium but of the faces he see, he doesn’t sense anything. Wasn’t there supposed to be a spark, some familiar recollection? How is he going to find them when he doesn’t feel anything?

 

***

 

“Yurio, is something in your eye?” Yuuri asks as they walk down the hallway. Yuri’s been blinking furiously ever since his short program ended and albeit how ridiculous he looks, he doesn’t care. Anyone in this corridor can be his soulmate, so he has to check to see if _they’re the one._

“I’m fine,” he assures Yuuri.  

Another person passes by and he blinks.

_No red string._

Yuuri gives him a funny look and Yuri tucks his chin into his sweater to hide the blush of embarrassment.

 _This is going to be a long process,_ Yuri muses. If his soulmate is in the audience then his efforts are going to naught. Even if he knows where his soulmate is, he wouldn’t know who they are if they’re surrounded by so many people.

Yuuri sees him darting his eyes and questions, “What are you looking for?”

“It’s nothing,” Yuri mutters.

He doesn’t want to tell Yuuri _he’s searching for his soulmate_ because it sounds so sappy and gross which is very unlike himself. Yuri isn’t sappy and gross, that’s Victor.

He hears JJ’s boisterous voice and Yuri stops breathing. His soulmate could be anyone here and this thought now sounds scary because JJ’s among the many people here.

 _It can’t be JJ,_ he persuades himself. The Lunar God wouldn’t do that to him.

He blinks when JJ walks by and breathes a sigh of relief.

 

***

 

Everyone stares in awe and in complete fascination at Otabek’s short program—including Yuri. Yuri grew up watching Victor skate so his expectations towards figure skating are unbelievably high but as he’s watching Otabek’s program, he’s remarkably impressed. Yuri’s on the edge of his seat, completely enthralled. He’s wondering why he doesn’t have much of an impression of Otabek. There’s a particular allure to him that keeps Yuri drawn to his program. He’s worried he’ll miss anything if he blinks.

Suddenly, there are flickers of recognition of Otabek at Yakov’s summer camp. It’s like someone brushed the cobwebs off his dusty memories and shone a light on his it so he can see everything clearly.

There’s Otabek in ballet class, struggling because he’s not the most flexible guy out there. Yuri grins, now remembering his awkward face. He would kill to see that expression again, especially now since Otabek’s so stoic.

Yuri wonders what happened to turn him into the person he is today because the Otabek from the past and the one on ice right now seem like two different people. Now, Otabek’s skates with this masculinity, the unwavering determination of a soldier who wants to bring honor to his country. It’s admirable, it’s captivating and Yuri can’t draw his eyes away.

At the end of his program, Otabek looks up to Yuri and Yuri gives him a thumbs-up. He knows it’s not enough to convey his amazement but it’s not in his nature to stand up and shriek like Victor does for Yuuri. However, Otabek smiles and Yuri smiles back, relieved that Otabek understands his wordless encouragement.  

Something heavy hits his stomach. It’s a sentimental, poignant feeling and while Yuri watches Otabek, he realizes it’s the sad reality of his own life—it’s the many friendships and people he forewent for the sake of his career, the times spent training to improve himself while others were goofing around at the arcade. There are a lot of moments he missed out on in his life for this career and it never upsets him because he’s where he wants to be right now. But for some reason, he’s reminiscing about his past and the what-ifs.

He’s turning sixteen soon but he feels so much older than that. He has national responsibilities, high expectations to meet; these things causes him to age faster, to think of the broader picture because this picture isn’t only about him. With all the time spent on figure skating, he forgot to live his life “normally” but to Yuri, normalcy is practice on the ice, ballet lessons, and exercise. He sees Yakov more than his Grandpa and unfortunately, that has become the norm as well.

In the end, Yuri doesn’t regret any of choices he’s made for figure skating. He loves it and he doesn’t regret choosing it over his life.

 

***

 

“Great job on the world record,” Yakov praises and Yuri grins during dinner. His efforts are finally shining bright enough for everyone to see, he’s finally being acknowledged.

 “But—” Yuri narrows his eyes at the clause. “—There was a stumble during your spin at the end.”

He nods because he can’t tell Yakov it’s the red string’s fault. He shouldn’t have let that affect him to the point of clumsiness. Random bursts of inanity like that can have detrimental effects. It’s stupid and shouldn’t have happened.

“I know.”

“It was only for a split second but people notices these things, Yuri.” Lilia reminds him and Yuri nods again. Lilia and Yakov are divorced but they’re great at tag-teaming him during lectures.

“I won’t let it happen again,” Yuri promises, “I’m going to get gold tomorrow.”

“You’re going to be beautiful tomorrow.” Lilia reaffirms and her compliments are held with high regards so Yuri beams. He’s going to push thoughts of his soulmate to the gutter because he can’t let it affect his performance again, least not when he has a solid chance at gold. This year is his last window before puberty hits and screws him over so he has to make the most of this opportunity.

He knows his soulmate is going to be there for him no matter how much time passes but the gold metal isn’t going to wait for him.

 

***

 

Yuri has that dream again with the Lunar God and he wakes up frustrated. It’s like his subconscious doesn’t want him to give up on the soulmate search but he can’t let himself get riled up by something like that. He can’t let a dumb slip-up like today happen again but every time he closes his eyes, he sees the red string. He swears the string’s practically shimmering now and Yuri can’t take his eyes off it. He wants to very much act on this subliminal message and meet his soulmate and he will, just not now when it’s midnight.

Just give him another day and he’ll go back to finding his soulmate. 

 

***

 

Of course, him wanting something and it actually happening are two different things. Maybe the Lunar God is stubborn and doesn’t want Yuri to miss his soulmate since they’re so close by so he keeps sending Yuri the dreams. If Yuri is to be honest then yes, he’s very excited by the red string and the idea of his prospective soulmate being right here, in the same place as him but Yuri is also excited for the free skate, excited by his dream of standing on top of the podium.

These two things are important to him and he’s already made his decision on which dream to prioritize but the Lunar God doesn’t seem happy with it so he’s not letting him sleep. So Yuri decides to go for a walk around the hotel, just to spite the Lunar God. He stops in his track when he passes the hotel bar because he swears he sees Victor but it can’t be. He shouldn’t even be up this late, let alone drinking by himself.

Yuri looks both ways before making a beeline for the bar. His suspicion is confirmed and it _is_ Victor. Considering that tomorrow’s the free skate, he should be resting up, not here. He even looks solemn and bothered, not the state he should be in. Yuri fumbles with the strap of his bag because he knows he can’t leave him alone.

“Yuri, you can’t be here,” Victor states when he sees Yuri sitting across from him.

“Are you deciding to be the responsible adult now of all times?” Yuri retorts. “Relax, I won’t order anything.”

Victor stares him down but gives up shortly when Yuri shows no sign of budging.

“Doesn’t the moon look lonely tonight?” Victor muses, taking a sip from his glass.

Yuri follows his glaze out the window and stares at it in wonder. The moon is big and bright and dominates the sky but Yuri doesn’t think it’s lonely. Instead, the moon looks empowering and mesmerizing. It gives Yuri a hopeful feeling and he likes it.

“No, it’s glowing tonight.”

“I guess it depends on the person then.”

Victor is being ambiguously sad and Yuri is torn between wanting to ask or staying quiet to steer clear of trouble—he’s already in enough trouble as it is with him being out this late, at a bar nonetheless.

“Victor…are you alright?”

“No, Yuuri doesn’t need me anymore.”

Yuri frowns because it sounds absurd and since it’s coming from Victor, it probably _is_ absurd. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“He wants to retire after tomorrow’s free skate,” Victor continues. “And he’s urging me to come back on the ice.” He laughs sardonically.

Yuri freezes because Yuuri _can’t_ retire. Yuuri can’t call it quits. Not after this comeback. He has potential to soar to even greater heights, he can’t cut himself short like this.

“That can’t happen,” Yuri states, deadpanned.

“We said we’d make our own decisions after the free skate tomorrow.” Victor sighs.

Yuri watches Victor, knowing this side of him far too well. Maybe Yuri’s too young to fully understand the complexity of his emotions but he always feels this sense of loneliness surrounding Victor. It’s sad because Victor is so flirty and outgoing to the press, to his fans, to the public but when he thinks no one’s watching then he becomes this gloomy person with too many thoughts running through him. The more Victor tries to keep up with his public image, the more miserable he looks.

Despite being exceptional on the ice, over the years, Yuri feels this emptiness. His technique is perfect, his jumps have great height but Yuri doesn’t know what it is Victor wants to express, what it is he wants to say. Many people are blinded by the beauty he creates to ponder the bigger question, too busy applauding the difficulty of his program, the beautiful quadruple flip to ask “What were your thoughts during your program?” “What did you want to convey?”

“So what brings you here?” Victor asks, unable to bear the heavy silence. Yuri wonders if they can change the conversation like this but he doesn’t have enough confidence to help Victor during a time like this so he takes the bait.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“It’s not like you to be nervous before a competition,” Victor comments and Yuri rolls his eyes. It isn’t like him and Victor knows this so he’s teasing him.

“You know that’s not the reason, I…” Yuri hesitates. “How did you know Yuuri’s your soulmate? Did you see a red string?”

Victor looks at him, surprised then eases into a tender smile. “I knew it was him before I saw the red string,” Victor answers, “That night at the banquet was enough for me to know.”

Yuri recalls the night almost a year ago. It was the first time Yuri’s ever seen Victor laugh and actually mean it. Despite the champagne on his shirt, the sloppy moves, Victor looked happy, free, like he was truly able to be himself. The twinkle reached his eyes and he was giggling non-stop.

“I never once regret figure skating because it’s the choice I made but,” Victor pauses, “I’m glad I found another source of joy, something else I can look forward to in my life.”

Victor never explained why he left Russia to go find Yuuri in Japan, like actually explained. Victor passed it off as a spontaneous decision but Yuri knows he takes every step with caution, all of his words are carefully planned so there is no such thing as “spur of the moment decision” for Victor.

“Why did you take this season off?” Yuri doesn’t believe Victor went to Japan to court Yuuri. There’s another reason, a sincere one that’s so uncharacteristic of Victor that he doesn’t want to admit it; if he does then Victor is indirectly acknowledging that the Victor on TV isn’t the real him.  

“I needed a break,” Victor answers simply.

“You know I’m not going to accept that.”

“Who are you to demand the truth?” Victor taunts and Yuri purses his lips. _Victor has a point._ Yuri is a rink-mate, a junior but he has no right to waltz into Victor’s personal life, demanding answers from him.

Victor laughs heartily upon seeing Yuri’s puzzled face. “You’re taking thing too seriously, Yuri. The whole soulmate thing.”

Yuri frowns. A part of him is worried for Victor but he will never admit this.

“Victor, please.” Yuri sends Victor another look, a pleading, helpless one and Victor relents.

“Alright, alright.” Victor waves Yuri off. “Figure skating’s been with me for over twenty years, it would be an understatement to say I love it. It _was_ my life.”

Yuri notes Victor’s usage of the past tense.

“But then, somewhere on the way, figure skating wasn’t fun anymore. Whenever reporters asked me about my next program, my mind went blank. I realized I was getting tired of figure skating, I didn’t know the answer to their questions because I wasn’t looking forward to it anymore. And that was devastating to accept.” Victor smiles bitterly, his fingers gliding along the rim of the empty glass.

It’s hard for Yuri to accept that Victor, someone who he’s been watching for years, someone he automatically associates with figure skating, to be bored of it. Like the public, Yuri was always anticipating Victor’s next program because it would always be a surprise, always something worthwhile.

“So I asked myself, ‘if I don’t skate then who am I? Am I still Victor Nikiforov?’” Victor heaves a sigh. “But that’s when I met Yuuri. It’s like, I don’t know how to explain it, but coaching him let me find joy in figure skating again. Yuuri gave it a new meaning and I started to become excited again.”

Yuri realizes the weight of Victor’s words. “Are you making a comeback?”

“I want to,” Victor replies, “I really want to come back on the ice. I miss it but I want to continue coaching Yuuri too.”

“You can’t do both, Victor.” Yuri deadpans because he knows Victor is actually considering it.

“If I can achieve that then that would be a nice surprise to give to you guys.” Victor gleams, the crazy idea already taking shape and Yuri rolls his eyes. _He can’t possibly be serious._

“I swear, we’re the reasons why Yakov is balding so fast.” Yuri scoffs, grinning.

“We bring home the gold so it’s worth it,” Victor jokes and smiles softly. “So as a thank you for caring, Yuri, shake my hand.”

Yuri stares at his outstretch hand in confusion. Victor rolls his eyes and reaches over to grab his hand. He stares at him in further bewilderment because what exactly is Victor getting at?

“Victor, what are you doing?”

“You don’t feel anything, right?”

“Your hand is cold.”

Victor laughs. “Okay, aside from that.”

“Am I supposed to feel something?”

“It should be a no because I have Yuuri,” Victor says while grinning. “But when it’s your soulmate, this handshake will feel different. Your intuitions will tell you _‘they’re the one.’_ It’s like something’s whispering in your mind, _‘It’s you. I’ve been looking for you’_ when you didn’t even know you were searching in the first place.”

Yuri gives them a skeptical look. It sounds too dreamy to be real. “That sounds like something from a sappy romance novel.”

“But it’s real, incredibly real.”

Victor has the starry-eyed look again, a big contrast to his gloomy state earlier and Yuri wonders if this is what love does to people—turn them into contradicting fools. 

“I know it’s real.” Yuri remarks, looking at the gold band around Victor’s finger.

Despite the trouble, he knows Victor and Yuuri are happy to be fools in love. 

 

***

 

Yuri sits slump in a corner, earphones in and the world muted. He wants to become invisible, to merge with the walls because his mind is in a turmoil of emotions.

Emotions can be good but to Yuri, emotions mess with him and his concentration. He always ends up feeling too much, being too passionate and it tips the scale, causing him to stumble. So he tries his hardest to keep the slate of his mind clean, focused. 

His knack for invisibility has never failed him before because of his small frame but it fails today. He feels someone sitting too close to him and he peers from around his hoodie to see who it is.

He grins at Otabek who has the funny look from their childhood on his face.

“You seem distracted.”

“That’s generous of you to say because my mind is so scattered,” Yuri mumbles, wondering how miserable he looks.

“What’s keeping it scattered?” Otabek asks and Yuri likes talking to him. Words come easy because he’s never too probing, he’s gentle with his questions and never pushes. Yuri doesn’t have to watch himself around Otabek because he understands Yuri’s intentions. Yuri can be himself with his rough, sharp edges and Otabek would know how to maneuver around him so that he doesn’t get cut.

“Yuuri’s thinking of retiring and I..” Yuri trails off. He doesn’t know what to say? How does he feel about this? _He’s conflicted? Upset? Is he really upset over something like this?_

After watching Victor drink two more glasses of alcohol last night, Yuri thought Victor would be able to convince Yuuri to stay in competition but he’s more stubborn than he looks. He’s not a pushover like Yuri thought him to be.

Somewhere and somehow, within these past few months, Yuri began anticipating Yuuri’s programs. It reminds him of Victor’s programs where Victor would always surprise Yuri, he would always give him something to look forward to.

Yuuri has a certain charm to him that captivates the audience. There’s a certain lull in his steps that has the audience wrapped around his fingers. His resolve to push forward despite the odds, to make it to the final because he wants to show the world that he’s stronger than ever and that it’s due to the love he shares with Victor. Unfortunately, Yuri is one of the many people to fall prey to Yuuri’s mission to proclaim his love on the ice.

“I didn’t expect that from him,” Otabek says pensively. “He made a strong comeback this year.”

“Right!” Yuri exclaims in agreement. It’s an incredible comeback considering his state last year. Yuri always wondered how Yuuri’s program would have looked if he didn’t mess up his jumps. Now that Yuuri granted him that wish, he’s greedy and wants to see more. He wants to see what he’ll do for the next season, how he’ll step up his game and impress everyone.

It baffles Yuri because how can Yuuri possibly think of retiring when he has so much more to show? He can go higher, be better but he thinks this is the pinnacle of his career? _It’s ridiculous._  

Otabek chuckles and Yuri stares at him in confusion. “You actually don’t want him to retire, right?”

Yuri’s expression softens, having been caught red-handed and he nods shyly.

“You should tell him that. Honesty goes a long way,” Otabek advises and pats his head. There’s a weird feeling when Yuri feels the weight of Otabek’s hand on his head but he dismisses it because the touch breathes tranquillity into him. He feels relaxed and breathes a grateful sigh of relief.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Otabek remarks and looks up to see Christophe entering the second half of his program. “I got to go prepare.”

“I should go too,” Yuri says. He looks up and is surprised to find Otabek’s hand reaching out to him. He smiles and takes it to stand up. Yuri feels oddly at peace after talking with Otabek. It’s not like his troubles suddenly disappears—it’s still there because Yuuri still wants to retire and Yuri doesn’t want that happening but talking makes the problem seem smaller. They’re not as hopeless and impossible as he makes them out to be. And it instills this crazy confidence in Yuri. It makes him feel like he’s at the top of the world, as if he can conquer anything and everything, like the feat of stopping Yuuri from retiring.

 

***

 

Yuri listens to the last few notes of Otabek’s free skate. It’s nothing short of spectacular. There’s this firm resolve for gold in his crisp and clean jumps. His eyes are burning and Yuri can see that he won’t settle for anything less than gold. He wants it so badly but he doesn’t let that desperation hinder the sophistication of his program.

But unfortunately, Yuri’s going to be standing in his way to gold.

They exchange thumbs-up and Yuri skates to the center, channeling his focus on his program. He’s going to do his best, put his all into it and go home with gold. He’s going to show the world who Yuri Plisetsky is, how jaded he’s become due to his ruthless training, hard-work and determination.

To convey this message, to speak to the hearts of the people he loves and admires, he has to first conquer this program. There’s this surge of invincibility when the music starts and Yuri feels omnipotent. It’s like he can do anything and that’s exactly what he does—he delivers an unforgettable program, one he is extremely proud of.

Faces come to mind with every passing second during the second half of his free skate. He sees the people who loves him, the people who believes in him and the people who got him to where he is today. With every face, Yuri feels himself jumping higher with more grace and beauty.

When the music fades out, Yuri allows the emotions to take over because this time, he deserves this moment of vulnerability. His legs give out, tears are falling and these unknown emotions are flowing through him.

_He did it._

_He poured his soul into this program and the people in the stadium heard the words he wanted to tell them._

There’s one person Yuri wants to look for, to thank and he desperately scans the crowd for them.

He stops when his eyes land on Otabek clapping for him. He realized this during his failed quadruple toe loop. Something inside him clicked and an epiphany hit him harder than the fall.  

_Otabek’s his soulmate._

_The one he’s been searching for is Otabek._

Yuri should have realized it sooner because now, everything makes sense. The odd yet soothing feeling Yuri gets when he’s around him, the sense of utter familiarity like he’s met him before when he knows he hasn’t and the thoughts that he buried deep within his heart are coming out. These could all only mean one thing. It’s the answer to every question he’s had for the last few days.

_Otabek’s his soulmate._

Looking at Otabek’s soft smile, Yuri gets the feeling he already knew about their connection. Yuri doesn’t know how he knows but it’s his intuition telling him this. Because they’re soulmates, Yuri understands what Otabek is trying to say even before the words get out. Because they’re soulmates, Otabek waited for Yuri to find out about their connection because he knew how hard Yuri worked to get where he is today.

This is what having a soulmate is—it’s having someone who knows you better than you know yourself, someone who understands you and does things for your best interest because they care and want the best for you.

His nerves jumping with excitement because he’s talking with Otabek to his mind tormenting him with the dreams—these were the signs telling Yuri _‘it’s him, you’ve been searching for him.’_

Everything has been a sign but he keeps misreading the connection with Otabek for stupid things like _maybe he’s out to murder me, he’s so cool on the ice,_ when it’s really the red string closing the gap between them, their connection growing stronger by the seconds.

Yuri doesn’t need to but he quickly blinks and in that split second, he sees the red string between Otabek and him shining brightly as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't say it's my favourite work but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it because I get to delve more into Yuri's character and his relations to others. Some times, I forget that Yuri's turning 16 so that's super young and he's dealing with a lot. He's bratty, he's bad at expressing his feelings but it's what makes him Yuri. So I wanted to convey that throughout the story.
> 
> I also feel that he and Victor are pretty similar in terms of their love and dedication towards figure skating. So if Victor neglected his life for over twenty years for figure skating, then Yuri must have sacrificed some things along the way. I hope you all enjoyed reading this.


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